HW 3.57 [ENDORSED]

[Maya Khoury]

We did this problem in my section, and my TA said the most electronegative would have the negative charge, and I just wanted to clarify this concept.
so for perchlorate ion ClO₄- if you calculated Cl to have a negative charge you would know that is wrong because Oxygen is more electronegative correct?

[Nicole Shak 1L]

Is it the most or least electronegative atom that has the negative charge? I had written down the least electronegative atom in my discussion, but now I'm confused since this problem has O with a -1 formal charge and the previous problem on that worksheet [S3N3]- said that S having the -1 charge is more stable (even though it's less electronegative).

[Maya Khoury]

the most electronegative element is going to have the negative charge. I found this online: The more electronegative atom has a partial negative charge, d-, because the electrons spend more time closer to that atom, while the less electronegative atom has a partial positive charge, d+, because the electrons are partly (but not completely) pulled away from that atom